Positive Social Behavior Research Articles

USING POSITIVE PEER REPORTING TO IMPROVE THE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND ACCEPTANCE OF SOCIALLY ISOLATED ADOLESCENTS IN RESIDENTIAL CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REPLICATION

We studied how rewarding youth in residential care for publicly reporting positive social behavior influenced the social interactions and acceptance of their most socially isolated peers. Results showed that the intervention resulted in substantial improvements in social interactions by the previously isolated peers. Peer acceptance ratings also improved for 2 of the target youths.

The Fast Track prevention programme improved classroom atmosphere and peer reported behaviour problems

Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. Initial impact of the Fast Track prevention trial for conduct problems: II. Classroom effects. J Consult Clin Psychol1999 Oct; 67 : 648 –57. [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of...

Male reproductive health research needs and research agenda: Asian and Pacific perspective.

Enhancing male reproductive health, and increasing men's participation in it, involves encouraging a range of positive reproductive health and social behaviour by men to help ensure women's and children's well-being. More intellectual work-including research programmes-is urgently needed to clarify the conceptual framework for male reproductive health. At the Asia and the Pacific Symposium 'Intra-regional Cooperation in Reproductive Health Research' (Shanghai, China, 12-13 October 1998) the Symposium participants identified regional research needs and recommended a regional reproductive health research agenda, which addresses six key issues related to male reproductive health: (i) male contraceptive technology; (ii) reproductive tract infections/sexually transmitted diseases and male infertility; (iii) male involvement in reproductive health; (iv) male adolescent reproductive health; (v) male reproductive ageing; and (vi) environment and male reproductive health. One of the major challenges now facing us is the elaboration of a comprehensive, yet realistic, male reproductive health research agenda that reflects the needs and demands of Asian developing countries. Making full use of an interdisciplinary approach is of strategic importance to achieve this.

Effects of a Sport Education Curriculum on the Positive Social Behavior of At-Risk Rural Adolescent Boys

The training of positive social behavior in children and youth holds particular significance in contemporary culture. One setting that holds great appeal for implementing social behavior interventions is public school physical education in which sport education is a part of the curriculum. This study describes the changes in a number of positive social behaviors of a cohort of at-risk adolescent youth during the implementation of a sport education season. Twenty 7th- and 8th-grade boys from a small rural school in the south participated in an experimental subject matter curriculum consisting of a 20-lesson unit of "kangaroo ball." During the latter part of the season, 2 specific fair-play interventions were introduced, and changes in student compliance, interpersonal behaviors, and leadership behaviors were measured. Results indicated that exposure to the curriculum model produced increased student positive peer interactions, as well as accurate self-monitoring by students of their social interactions. Implications for the importance of providing specific prosocial objectives in physical education are discussed in light of this study's findings.

Methylphenidate and Behavior Modification in Children With ADHD and Comorbid ODD or CD: Main and Incremental Effects Across Settings

Although the combination of methylphenidate (MPH) and behavior modification (BMOD) has been advocated to enhance clinical outcome for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid disruptive disorders, few group studies have been conducted. This study evaluates the separate and incremental effects of these modalities on rating scale and observational measures in multiple settings. Sixteen of 22 children with ADHD and comorbid disruptive disorder completed a randomized, placebo-controlled study examining the separate and incremental effects of 2 doses of MPH and BMOD during a partial hospitalization program. Of the 6 who did not complete the study, 2 children developed significant side effects. For the 16 who did complete the study, effects were examined on measures of symptom ratings, behavioral frequencies, and stimulant side effects across program activities. Based on alpha-adjusted analyses of variance, there were several main effects of MPH and BMOD on ADHD symptoms, oppositional behavior, and positive social behavior, with certain effects unique to each intervention and setting. One incremental effect each was found for MPH (positive mood/behavior) and BMOD (negative behavior). MPH and BMOD were associated with few side effects. Effect sizes for each intervention showed considerable variability in clinical response. That MPH and BMOD had certain unique main and incremental effects extends findings supporting their combination and suggests that integrated studies evaluate multiple dimensions of functioning and in novel settings (e.g., home, school). The incorporation of other intervention components in combined treatments may be warranted to enhance clinical efficacy.

Modeling the prediction of elementary school adjustment from preschool temperament

While there is a growing body of research demonstrating associations between temperament and behavior problems, there are few longitudinal studies of temperament rated in early childhood, and behavior problems and skills assessed during the elementary school years in which different sources of data are used. In this research, parental ratings of temperament at age 5 years were used to predict school performance problems, behavior problems and positive social behaviors as rated by teachers at age 8 years. Using Latent Variable Path Analysis With Partial Least Squares Estimation parent rated negative emotionality was found to be a substantial predictor of externalizing behavior problems, and a modest predictor of positive social behaviors (negative direction). Also, self-regulation of motor behavior and attention were found to be predictive of school performance problems, and positive social behavior. This study strengthens the empirical literature on the connection between temperament and behavior problems, particularly problems observed in school setting. It underscores the importance of parent rated negative emotionality as a potent predictor of later occurring behavior problems.

Family processes in attention and hyperactivity disorder

The parenting behavior of mothers and interaction within the family were assessed by means of a multi-method procedure consisting of a questionnaire, sculpture test, behavior observation and the data of N = 36 subjects. Analyzed were the data of father, mother and child in six families, each with a boy aged 9 to 12 years who had been diagnosed as hyperactive on the basis of behavior checklists. A second group of six families served as paralleled controls. Mothers of hyperactive children more often report use of punishment as a means of influencing the behavior of their children. Independent observers confirm this, seeing that mothers of hyperactive children more frequently use negative and oppositional behavior and adverse consequences than do mothers of "normal" children. The interaction of father, mother and child in discussing a family conflict was characterized in the clinical group by more use of negative and less use of positive social behavior. Families with a hyperactive child more often attempted to interrupt each other and gave other members of the family less of an opportunity to exert an influence. Different instruments to assess the emotional cohesion and hierarchy within a family revealed significant differences between the two groups.

Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing behavioral and neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Both love and social attachments function to facilitate reproduction, provide a sense of safety, and reduce anxiety or stress. Because social attachment is an essential component of love, understanding attachment formation is an important step toward identifying the neurobiological substrates of love. Studies of pair bonding in monogamous rodents, such as prairie voles, and maternal attachment in precocial ungulates offer the most accessible animal models for the study of mechanisms underlying selective social attachments and the propensity to develop social bonds. Parental behavior and sexual behavior, even in the absence of selective social behaviors, are associated with the concept of love; the analysis of reproductive behaviors, which is far more extensive than our understanding of social attachment, also suggests neuroendocrine substrates for love. A review of these literatures reveals a recurrent association between high levels of activity in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and the subsequent expression of social behaviors and attachments. Positive social behaviors, including social bonds, may reduce HPA axis activity, while in some cases negative social interactions can have the opposite effect. Central neuropeptides, and especially oxytocin and vasopressin have been implicated both in social bonding and in the central control of the HPA axis. In prairie voles, which show clear evidence of pair bonds, oxytocin is capable of increasing positive social behaviors and both oxytocin and social interactions reduce activity in the HPA axis. Social interactions and attachment involve endocrine systems capable of decreasing HPA reactivity and modulating the autonomic nervous system, perhaps accounting for health benefits that are attributed to loving relationships.

Child feeding and care behaviors are associated with xerophthalmia in rural Nepalese households

The study examined caregiver–child interactions, intrahousehold food allocation and general child care behaviors and their effect on children's xerophthalmia status in the rural Terai region of Nepal. Seventy-eight households with a child having a history of xerophthalmia (cases) were matched with 78 households with a child of the same age having no history of xerophthalmia (controls). Seven day-long continuous monitoring observations were performed in each household (over 15 months) by trained Nepali observers, focusing on feeding and care of a focus child and his/her younger sibling. Nineteen different behavioral variables were operationalized, including serving method, second helpings, serving refusals, encouragement to eat, request intensity, meal serving order, food channeling, food sharing, positive social behaviors, negative social behaviors, and positive health behaviors. Automatic serving and request intensity were strongly negatively correlated, especially among younger siblings. Children who serve themselves receive less encouragement to eat. Those children who are refused in their requests for food tend to ask for food more frequently, for a longer time, and be less likely to self-serve. Children who eat from a shared plate are less likely to interact with a food server and more likely to self-serve. Negative social behavior towards children is associated with the child having to request food more frequently and a greater likelihood of being refused food. Children who receive positive health care from their caregivers are also more frequently asked if they would like food by the server and are encouraged to eat. Several caregiver–child feeding behaviors were related to a child's risk of having past vitamin A deficiency. Controls were much more likely to be served food automatically. Cases were more likely to serve themselves food and have multiple servings of food. Cases were nearly two times more likely than controls to be treated with neglect or harshly, and much less likely than controls to have their health needs receive attention. Examining intrahousehold behavior is critical for understanding the causes of vitamin A deficiency in rural Nepalese children, and has great potential for identifying and improving interventions to improve children's diets and care.

Behaviors leading to more effective decisions in small groups embedded in organizations

Although recent group communication research has investigated the efficacy of meeting global functions in improving group decision making, little work has been done to identify specific types of utterances that would meet these functions. Furthermore, most of this work has used students placed into ad hoc groups as participants. This paper identifies behaviors that participants in small organizational groups perceive as affecting the quality of decisions made by those groups. Exploratory factor analysis was used in two studies to identify these behaviors. In both studies reported here, three consistent factors emerged: full participation of the group members, the presence of negative socio‐emotional behaviors, and the presence of positive social emotional behaviors.

Lust, attraction, and attachment in mammalian reproduction.

This paper proposes that mammals exhibit three primary emotion categories for mating and reproduction: (1) the sex drive, or lust, characterized by the craving for sexual gratification; (2) attraction, characterized by increased energy and focused attention on one or more potential mates, accompanied in humans by feelings of exhilaration, "intrusive thinking" about a mate, and the craving for emotional union with this mate or potential mate; and (3) attachment, characterized by the maintenance of close social contact in mammals, accompanied in humans by feelings of calm, comfort, and emotional union with a mate. Each emotion category is associated with a discrete constellation of neural correlates, and each evolved to direct a specific aspect of reproduction. The sex drive is associated primarily with the estrogens and androgens; it evolved to motivate individuals to seek sexual union. The attraction system is associated primarily with the catecholamines; it evolved to facilitate mate choice, enabling individuals to focus their mating effort on preferred partners. The attachment system is associated primarily with the peptides, vasopressin, and oxytocin; it evolved to motivate individuals to engage in positive social behaviors and assume species-specific parental duties.During the evolution of the genus Homo, these emotion systems became increasingly independent of one another, a phenomenon that contributes to human mating flexibility and the wide range of contemporary human mating and reproductive strategies.

Influence of a Capuchin Monkey Companion on the Social Life of a Person with Quadriplegia: An Experimental Study

ABSTRACTAs a consequence of a severe reduction in their autonomy, the social life of people with quadriplegia becomes highly routine. In addition, the social environment becomes very limited because people without disabilities may feel awkward around, or have an aversion to, people with quadriplegia. A pet animal often facilitates social interactions between humans, and in this study we investigated the influence of a capuchin monkey companion on the social environment of a person with quadriplegia. In three different public areas, we compared the behaviors of passers-by confronted with a person with quadriplegia or a person who had no disabilities, either alone or with a capuchin companion. In both situations the capuchin companion greatly modified the behaviors of the passers-by, inducing more positive social behaviors such as smiles, and higher frequencies of visual contact. In addition, passers-by tended to avoid the person with quadriplegia less often when the capuchin was present. The presence of a capuchin companion potentially improves the social environment of people with quadriplegia.

Common Dimensions of Social Skills of Children and Adolescents: A Taxonomy of Positive Behaviors

Although much work has been done to derive empirically based taxonomies of child and adolescent problem behaviors, such is not the case for positive social behaviors. In the present study an extensive review, analysis, and synthesis of more than 2 decades of factor analytic research on child and adolescent social skills to was completed derive an empirically based taxonomy. Five behavioral dimensions occurred consistently: Peer Relations, Self Management, Academic, Compliance, and Assertion. The most common social skills associated with these dimensions are presented. Clinicians and researchers may use this taxonomy to provide a nomenclature with which to refer to the five positive social skill patterns, identify dimensions on which children or adolescents may have deficits, design interventions to increase the occurrence of these skills, measure the effects of interventions, and aid in theory development.

Integrative functions of lactational hormones in social behavior and stress management.

For mammalian reproduction to succeed, self-defense and asociality must be subjugated to positive social behaviors, at least during birth, lactation, and sexual behavior. Perhaps the important task of regulating the interaction between social and agonistic behaviors is managed, in part, by interactions between two related neurochemical systems that incorporate oxytocin and vasopressin in their functions. The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin participate in important reproductive functions, such as parturition and lactation, and homeostatic responses, including modulation of the adrenal axis. Recent evidence also implicates these hormones in social aspects of reproductive behaviors. For example, oxytocin is important for a variety of positive social behaviors, including the regulation of maternal-infant interactions. In adult animals, oxytocin may facilitate both social contact and selective social interactions associated with social attachment and pair bonding, and it participates in the regulation of parasympathetic functions. Vasopressin, in contrast, is associated with behaviors that might be broadly classified as "defensive" including enhanced arousal, attention, or vigilance, increased aggressive behavior, and a general increase in sympathetic functions. On the basis of the literature on the functions of these hormones and our own recent findings, we propose that dynamic interactions between oxytocin and vasopressin are components of a larger system which integrates the neuroendocrine and autonomic changes associated with mammalian social behaviors and the concurrent regulation of the stress axis. In addition, studies of lactating females provide a valuable model for understanding the more general neuroendocrinology of the stress axis. Peptide hormones, including oxytocin and vasopressin, do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier and must be administered centrally (i.c.v.) to reach the brain. Nasal sprays have been used to promote milk let down and have been used in some behavioral studies, but the extent to which such compounds reach the brain is not known. Therefore, virtually nothing is known regarding the effects in humans of centrally administered oxytocin. The study of human lactation, in conjunction with animal research, provides an opportunity to begin to develop viable hypotheses regarding the behavioral effects of oxytocin.

Antisocial Behavior in School: Strategies and Best Practices

Antisocial Behaviour Patterns in Children and Youth: Behavioural Characteristics, Causal Factors and Long-Term Negative Outcomes. Issues, Guidelines and Procedural Recommendations Regarding the Implementation and Delivery of Intervention Strategies Within Public School Settings. Establishing a School-Wide Discipline Plan. Instructing and Managing the Classroom Environment. Managing the Antisocial Student in the Classroom Setting. Managing the Antisocial Student on the Playground. Parent Involvement in the Schooling of Antisocial Students. Social Skills: Universal and Selected Interventions. Case Study Applications of Best Practices with Antisocial Students. Appendix A: Empirical Foundations in Discriminating, Predicting and Changing Aggressive, Antisocial Behaviour in School and Home Settings. Exhibit 1: The Influence of Arrest Status and Special Education Certification on Adjustment Status for At-Risk Students: Markers for Negative Developmental Outcomes. Exhibit 2: Regular Classroom Behavioural Profiles of Negative/Aggressive Versus Acting Out/Disruptive Students in the Primary Grades. Exhibit 3: Comparisons of the School Adjustment Status of Middle School, At-Risk Boys Who Are: (1) Deviant in Two or More Settings, (2) Deviant in Only One Setting and (3) Deviant in No Settings. Exhibit 4: Adjustment Profiles of Antisocial and At-Risk Middle School Boys. Exhibit 5: Positive Versus Negative Social Behavior in Discriminating Antisocial and At-Risk Students Within Playground and Classroom Settings. Exhibit 6: Differential Parenting Profiles that Discriminate Antisocial and At-Risk Students. Exhibit 7: The Path from Failed Parenting to Antisocial Behaviour in School to Delinquency in Adolescence. Exhibit 8: Generalization of Antisocial Behaviour Patterns from Home to School. Exhibit 9: The Efficacy of Praise, Token Reinforcement and Cost Contingency in Reducing Negative-Aggressive Social Interactions Among Antisocial Boys. Exhibit 10: Regular Classroom Applications of Reinforcement and Cost Contingency in Reducing Negative-Aggressive Social Interactions. Exhibit 11: The Efficacy of a Response-Cost Intervention for Increasing Positive Social Interactions Within Free-Play Settings. Exhibit 12: Cost Contingency and Its Frequency of Use in Maintaining Behavioural Levels. Exhibit 13: External Replications of the RECESS Program for Aggressive Students.

Factors affecting the success of community placement: the TAPS project 26.

Long-stay patients who were discharged from Friern and Claybury hospitals during the 6-year period between September 1985 and August 1991 were followed up for at least 1 year and the details of all readmissions were recorded. Of the 615 hospital leavers, some 178 (29%) were readmitted at some time during the follow-up period. A proportional hazards regression analysis revealed a number of independent baseline factors which affect the risk of readmission at any time during the follow-up period. Younger patients were more at risk of readmission than were older patients and 'new' long-stay patients had a greater risk than baseline patients. Risk was also greater in patients who had a larger number of pre-discharge admissions, a higher abnormal behaviour score (PSE BSO) or a diagnosis of manic psychosis. An ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that these same five factors tended to increase the actual number of readmission episodes. The proportion of post-discharge time spent in hospital among the readmitted patients was found to be greater for males, new long-stay patients and for patients with a higher number of positive social behaviour symptoms (SBSPOS score).

Social phobia and social appraisal in successful and unsuccessful social interactions

32 generalized social phobic outpatients and 32 matched nonclinical control subjects participated in a dyadic ‘getting acquainted’ interaction with an experimental assistant who engaged in either positive or negative social behavior. The accuracy of social phobics' and control subjects' perceptions of themselves and their partners were compared in the two conditions. Relative to observers' ratings, the social phobics displayed a negative bias in their appraisals of some, but not all, aspects of their social performance. These results suggested that social phobics may have particular difficulty gauging the nonverbal aspects of their social behavior. The phobics discounted their social competence to the same extent in the positive interaction, where their behavior was more skilful, as in the negative interaction. The social phobics were also less accurate than nonclinical controls in their appraisals of their partners, however, these phobic subjects displayed a positive bias when appraising their partner's performance.

Evidence bearing on the affiliative tendency (MAFF) and sensitivity to rejection (MSR) scales

Affiliative Tendency (MAFF) is defined by generalized positive social expectations and behaviors. Relationships of the MAFF with various measures are given in parentheses following each item listed: liking of others (+), social anhedonia (−), social avoidance and distress (−), judged similarity and compatibility with others (+), favorable impressions of strangers (+), adjustments to high social density (+), concern about attractive appearance (+), self-disclosure and confidence (+), conversation and positiveness with others (+). Sensitivity to Rejection (MSR) essentially measures submissiveness and has the following relationships: assertiveness (−), leadership (−), competition performance (−), confidence (−), ability to deal with threat and hostility (−), submissive social behaviors (+). Dependency, loneliness, and popularity are derivative (mathematical) functions of the MAFF and MSR.

Use of positive reinforcement training in the management of species for reproduction

AbstractPositive reinforcement training holds great potential for enhancing the management of species for reproduction. This paper reviews a wide range of animal training activities and resultant benefits which could have application to captive reproduction programs. Recognized benefits fall into several categories. Basic animal care can be improved through voluntary cooperation by the animals with veterinary procedures and routine husbandry activities. The quality and quantity of physiological data collected for research can be improved through voluntary cooperation by the animal subjects with sample collection. Positive social interaction and reproductive behavior can be increased and aggressive behavior reduced through employment of a specialized training regime called cooperative feeding. Good success has been reported with special training programs to facilitate introduction of new members into primate social groups, while mixed results have been obtained in efforts to use training to enhance maternal skills. Finally, a discussion of both direct and indirect enhancement of psychological well‐being through the use of positive reinforcement training is presented. While positive reinforcement training techniques will not be useful in every situation, information developed to date strongly suggests that these techniques should be given serious consideration when developing comprehensive programs for the management of species for reproduction. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Family Emotional Expressiveness as a Predictor of Early Adolescent Social and Psychological Adjustment

Parents' support of their children's emotional expressiveness was examined in relation to the children's social and psychological adjustment over a 3-year period. Nonhostile expression of emotion within the family (both observed and self-reported) appears to have provided a buffer against psychological problems over the transition to middle school and to have enhanced concurrent and long-term developmental outcomes, as evidenced by greater peer popularity, more positive self-concept for girls, and more positive social behavior in the classroom for boys. Parents' and children's levels of observed emotionality were highly intercorrelated, suggesting that parents were modeling a level of emotional expressiveness that was similar to the level they allowed or supported in their children.